Device Debugger

The debugger device is a 2-port device used to allow troubleshooting and configuration tasks using the netsh application. To configure or troubleshoot a device, a debugger must be powered and a network route must exist between the debugger and the device. It is a good idea to place the debugger in your datacenter and connect it directly to your core switches to allow a single debugger to troubleshoot/configure your entire datacenter.

The figure on the right shows a direct connection setup from the debugger to a device. This allows the debugger to execute commands on this device.

A slightly better setup is to wire the debugger through a switch. This allows the debugger to execute commands on every device connected through the switch. In the example to the right, the debugger will be able to debug and configure both device A and device B without needing to change the cabling setup.

To see the list of debuggers currently accessible, use the

lstdbg

command. This will show a list of debuggers and their logical address. You can then see the list of devices that are accessible by the debugger using the \

scan

command; if the debugger address is 63168, then input

scan devices using 63168

. The scan command shows a list of device that are accessible by the debugger and their corresponding network address. Using the

watch

command on the listed device addresses, detailed information about the device can then be seen on the debugger. For example, if the scanned device address is 41216, then input

watch 41216 using 63168

.

It may be unwieldly to keep typing address of the debugger if you always debug from the same debugger. Use the always routine command to set the default debugger to use. For example, given that the debugger address is 51727 and we always want to use that, input

always using 51727

. This allows you to then type any debugger related commands without the

using ...

part. This means that instead of typing

scan devices using 51727

, you would only need to type

scan devices

.

You can always refer to the netsh guide for help. Always remember that the command

man

(short for manual) is a useful way to find out more about a command. To use the command, simply type \

man

or

man <name of program you want to find out>